[Video] We set a record at the Nürburgring. Again.

The Nürburgring is an equalizer. To conquer the ‘Ring, a car must be versatile enough to handle complex curves, long straightaways and varied road surfaces in one 12.8-mile lap. Every major automaker in the world has used this famous one-way toll road to test its flagship production sports cars. Among the best, the Viper reigns as fastest.

The Dodge Viper ACR, factory-fitted with adjustable suspension and downforce, can adapt to conquer such a broad test.

With encouragement from the myriad owner clubs and fan groups that make up what we call Viper Nation, the Viper engineering and development team felt the time was right to re-establish a record-setting run at the Nürburgring. Viper program manager Mike Shinedling explains why it was important to re-set the production car lap record at this legendary track.

Mike Shinedling began racing go-karts at the age of 12. By the age of 20, Mike had fully restored three vehicles, including one coupe-to-convertible conversion and a performance modification build. Since then, Mike has honed his driving skills on autocross courses.

As Viper program manager, it’s Mike’s job to ensure that each individual system in the Viper interacts in harmony. Though the Viper ACR was not specifically developed for Nurburgring competition, its masterful combination of communicative steering, massive downforce and power on demand enable the car to excel on nearly any type of circuit.

For the 2010 model year, the Viper ACR was slightly revised to extract maximum potential. A shorter fifth-gear ratio and a short-throw shifter were fitted to enable higher straightaway speeds. Its trademark carbon fiber rear wing received revised side plates, which allow for seven different configurations. These improvements enabled the 2010 ACR to edge past its former record by ten seconds.

Every element of the record-holding Viper ACR is factory-fitted, regular-production and street legal. Its two-way adjustable dampers allow for a wide range of compression and rebound settings which can be adjusted without removing the wheels. An aggressive front splitter allows for minute adjustments to tailor the Viper’s behavior to each individual circuit. The factory-installed Michelin Pilot Sport Cup tires are DOT-rated and street legal. Indeed, the record-holding Viper ACR was provided by Tomball Dodge and ViperExchange.com, out of the retailers’ remaining stock.

The Viper’s victory at the Nürburgring is the latest in a series of lap records set at 19 circuits on two continents. Watch driveSRT.com for information as the Viper progresses in its record-setting quest.